1918 
Jimmy Blanton is born in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He studies violin
as a child, but switches to double bass when at college. He plays
in the college band in 1936-37. After leaving college he begins
his professional career in St Louis.
STYLE
Jimmy Blanton is the first great double
bass soloist in jazz. He was preceeded by John Kirby,
Milt Hinton and Israel Crosby, each of whom had employed 'walking'
bass lines and a more melodic content to their playing, and by Walter
Page, one of Count Basie's influential
rhythm section. But Blanton had both the
technique and the fine tone to take this style of playing to higher
levels. Ellington had the perspicacity to see this, and
ensured that Blanton was recorded well, both on the band stand and
the recording studio.
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1939-41
Duke Ellington hires Blanton, and
he becomes an important member of Ellington's band in what was a golden
period, making many great recordings with the full band and with smaller
sub-groups of Ellington sidemen; he makes
a series of significant duo recordings with Ellington.
He makes occasional appearances at Minton's Playhouse, where the new
bebop language is being developed by Parker,
Gillespie and others. Blanton has
tuberculosis, is forced to leave Ellington in late-1941, and dies
in 1942.
INFLUENCE
Blanton laid the keystone of double bass performance in modern jazz.
He was followed by Oscar Pettiford,
Ray Brown and Charles Mingus. |